PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — What would the Eagles’ regular season have looked like had their star running back signed elsewhere?
Or, if the team’s coaching staff hadn’t been open to change at a critical juncture of the year?
Odds are, the Eagles wouldn’t be heading into the playoffs with the same, elevated levels of hype and hope surrounding their Super Bowl chances.
When it came to the importance of Saquon Barkley to the Eagles’ resurgent 14-3 regular season, the locker room let its feelings be known.
According to the majority of his teammates, the 27-year old was the Eagles’ undisputed MVP. Their words, collected by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane for his annual end-of-year player survey, were as telling as the jawdropping numbers Barkley put up.
“Everybody knows who the team MVP is,” said Slay, the Eagles’ veteran defensive back and one of 45 of the team’s 53 players to participate in McLane’s poll. “It’s Saquon.”
“I think [no.] 26 is the guy,” back-up quarterback Kenny Pickett said. “He’s the clear cut winner.”
“Team MVP?,” said defensive tackle Milton Williams on a new episode of McLane’s unCovering the Birds podcast. “Gotta be Saquon.”
Williams continued, “When [Barkley] first got here, I told him, ‘I ain't worried about you. You’re gonna ball, because you ain’t never played in no offensive line like they got here.’”
Williams’ assertion was prophetic.
With the Eagles’ deep cast of linemen forming a punishing convoy in front of him, Barkley thrived. Twice a top-five finisher in rushing during his six-year stint with the New York Giants, he wrapped up the 2024 regular season with an NFL-best and Eagles’ franchise record 2,005 yards.
He also led the league with a career-high 2,283 all purpose yards, while tying his own personal mark with 15 total touchdowns.
By virtually every measure, Barkley was at the peak of his powers.
He was not, however, the unanimous choice for team MVP among the players McLane polled.
Right tackle Lane Johnson, for instance, was one of several Eagles who gave the nod to linebacker Zach Baun. Underutilized in New Orleans the first four years of his career, Baun delivered a breakout season. He forced five fumbles, good for second-most in the league; notched 11.0 tackles-for-loss; and earned his first Pro Bowl nod.
“[Baun] has gotten some recognition, but he’s playing lights out,” safety Reed Blankenship told McLane. “He should be getting even more [said] about him. He’s a freaking phenomenal player.”
Selecting a team MVP was one of five big picture, year-in-review questions McLane posed on the podcast to Eagles’ players. He also asked them to single out the biggest turning point of the season.
Considering how dramatically the Eagles’ fortunes turned following their Week 5 bye, the adjustments conceived and implemented during that period was the consensus pick.
“We were able to come together as a team, and come to a conclusion of what we wanted to accomplish and wanted to do,” Barkley said to McLane. “You can see our whole mindset shifted.”
On offense, that meant setting Barkley loose.
On defense, changes were more personnel and rotation-driven.
The result was the transformation of a rudderless 2-2 team into a Super Bowl contender that, with a clear identity, ripped off 10 wins in a row en route to the NFC East title.
Now, a Wild Card round playoff date Sunday with the Green Bay Packers awaits.
To hear more player responses from McLane’s survey, like why A.J. Brown was named as one of the team’s best mentors, check out the Week 18 edition of unCovering the Birds.
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unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes each week during the regular season. Follow on the free Audacy app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you listen to podcasts.